Slovakia election 2023: populist party Smer takes commanding lead in count with 98% of precincts reporting – as it happened

Election could decide whether country sticks with liberal, pro-western line or begins to lean more towards Russia

Slovakia's election day in pictures

There is a real concern that after the vote Slovakia could become some sort of Trojan horse of Russia in the EU and NATO," said Andrej Matisak, a journalist at Slovak daily Pravda.